Government announces AIIMS-like facilities for Jammu

NEW DELHI: Noting that the government is committed to balanced regional growth, Union Health Minister J P Nadda today said that Jammu region will also get AIIMS like facilities in the wake of demands by locals for setting up seperate AIIMS in the region.

"The Health Ministry is setting up an AIIMS in Jammu and Kashmir and will provide similar facilities of AIIMS in both Jammu and Kashmir regions," the Union Minister said.

Nadda's statement came after a delegation from Jammu and Kashmir comprising state Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, Health Minister Lal Singh, state BJP president Jugal Kishore Sharma, party J&K affaris in charge Avinash Rai Khanna and general secretary Narendra Singh met him today.

The delegation met Nadda in the presence of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

"The NDA government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to provide healthcare facilities for all regions. And we are committed to balanced regional growth when it comes to healthcare facilities," Nadda said.

ACC, an amalgamation of over 70 organisations, has been leading an agitation for setting up of AIIMS in Jammu region.

The ACC had given a call for three-day complete Jammu bandh starting July 31. It will be the third bandh observed over the issue in Jammu region since April this year.

A complete bandh was earlier observed on April 24 and May 27 after which Nirmal Singh had given a written assurance that an AIIMS will be announced for Jammu by the Centre on or before July 20.

ACC members were hopeful that the three days of Jammu bandh would be sufficient to send a strong message to the government and especially to BJP, that the people of Jammu would "no longer tolerate back-stabbing".

The Centre has announced that it plans to set up six new All India Institutes of Medical Science (AIIMS) in six different states in order to cater to the increasingly growing demands for more doctors across the country.

Only in India the healthcare financing is very small when compared to the financing by the other forces rather than the patient himself or herself paying out of pocket. Having 70-75% of the expenses as out-of-pocket, in my opinion, is not a right approach to managing healthcare in a country where the patients tend to sub-optimally purchase healthcare if he/she has to pay out-of-pocket.